Overview
- Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was arraigned in U.S. District Court, pleaded not guilty to nine counts including first‑degree murder while armed, and will remain detained pending trial.
- Judge Amit Mehta set the next status conference for May 6 as prosecutors told the court they are pursuing death‑eligible charges and outlined plans that could support a capital case.
- Court filings allege Lakanwal drove from Washington state and used a stolen .357 Smith & Wesson revolver in an ambush near the Farragut West Metro, where National Guard majors shot and subdued him.
- Prosecutors say Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died the day after the attack and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically wounded while on a West Virginia National Guard deployment in the capital.
- Records and officials indicate Lakanwal came to the U.S. in 2021 under Afghan evacuation efforts and had worked with U.S. government entities including the CIA, while Wolfe continues recovery with skull reconstruction surgery planned in March.